Carrier for dotboard motors



Oct. 8, 1963 J. TOMAIUOLO 3,106,408

CARRIER FOR OUTBOARD MOTORS Filed Oct. 20. 1960 United States Patent Ofiice 3,106,408 Patented Oct. 8, 1963 3,106,408 CARRIER FOR OUTBOARD MOTORS Theodore J. Tomaiuolo, 16 Stedman St., Hartford, Conn.

Filed Oct. 28, 1960, Ser. No. 65,627 2 Claims. (Cl. 28036) very rapid rate among all walks of life, and boating is being enjoyed by many who are unable to aiford the luxury of ownership of both a boat and an outboard motor for use therewith. It is not at all uncommon for boating and fishingenthusiasts to purchase a motor with no intention of purchasing a boat since rental boats are so generally available.

An outboard motor is by its very nature a heavy, cumbersome device which at best is difficult to handle, but which also is a fragile, precisely tuned power plant requiring gentle treatment thereof if it is to perform properly. This presents a very serious transportation problem. Knocking, bumping, dropping, dragging and the like are very apt to cause malfunctioning which conceivably may result in a motor failure at a most inopportune time. Fishermen, in particular, encounter unusual difiiculty when fishing the out-of-the-way lakes which dot our northern states and Canada. In many instances there are no roads to such fishing havens and access thereto requires tramping along wooded paths for distances of up to two, three or four miles or more. It is readily apparent that it would be extremely diflicult if not impossible for a man to carry a heavy outboard motor over such wooded paths for so great a distance especially in view of the large amount of fishing and camping gear necessary for such trips. My novel carrier, on the other. hand, is designed to maneuver over such forest trails while yet requiring only a minimum of eifort to use since it utilizes the basic principle of the lever to gain a mechanical ad vantage whereby a heavy motor may be transported with a mere minimum of effort. I

The outboard motor carrier of my design may conveniently be stored in a minimum of space in the trunk of an automobile or the back of a station wagon, leaving most of the available luggage area for other equipment. It can be assembled into carrying condition in a matter of seconds and positioned adjacent to the motor for ready mounting thereof on the carrier. Because of its light weight and novel design, however, my carrier is also particularly adapted for mounting directly to an outboard motor placed in a horizontal positionan especially desirable feature when the motor is particularly heavy. It is adapted to receive and carry outboard motors of all standard sizes and weights.

Of singular novelty is the convertibility of my carrier sludge or the like and any water remaining around the 2 cylinder in the water jacket will drain harmlessly away. It is also apparent that repairs or adjustments, whether minor or major are less difiicult when made while the motor is in operating position.

A very significant aspect of the utilitarian value of my carrier when converted to a stand is in its use for testing an outboard motor. in the absence of a device of this nature, it is diflicult, if not impossible, to operate the motor out of water for the purpose of making adjustments or to observe the operation of the propeller.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an outboard motor carrier which is lightweight, compact, yet simple in construction.

A further object is to provide such a carrierwhich can be inexpensively manufactured.

A further object is to provide an outboard motor carrier designed to support a motor while transporting it, but yet protecting it from physical damage.

Still another object is to furnish such a carrier which is both collapsible and self-storing.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a carrier employing static load principle whereby there will be a mechanical advantage to the user thereof in transporting heavy motors.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an outboard motor carrier which may be adapted for use as a stand for long term storage of the motor in a substantially operating position whereby it will not become fouled by oil, grease, sludge, and the like or damaged by water freezing in the water jacket.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide an outboard motor carrier which will both transport and store outboard motors in an upright position whereby the motors engine will not suifer dam-age thereto.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide an outboard motor carrier adapted to horizontally support an outboard motor for convenience in use with automobiles and similar vehicles.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of my improved carrier in,

assembled condition.

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view thereof. FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the motor support of my carrier showing the handle mounting mem- 50 be FIG. 5 is a rear elevational view of my improved carrier in disassembled condition for portability and storage. FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 3 showing the clip means for securing the removable handles to the main support column as shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of my novel and improved carrier shown in assembled condition and adapted to serve as a work or storage stand for receiving an outboard motor whereby said motor is maintained in a substantially upright position.

As shown in the drawing, the carrier 5 is engineered for use with an outboard motor of conventional design and comprises a central support column 6 having two Wheels 77 mounted for rotation on an axle 8 extending transversely through the said column inwardly of the lower end thereof as most clearly shown in FIG. 3. The said wheels 77 are disposed on opposite sides of the column 6 and are adapted for ready rotation by the use of standard bearings, bushings, etc. .The provision of dual wheels insures lateral stability and minimizes any tipping tendency inherent in such construction.

A motor support 10 is secured adjacent to the upper end 11 of the said column 6. Said support preferably extends parallel with the axle 8 and transverse to the longitudinal axis of the said support column as clearly shown in FIG. 3. The motor support 10 extending laterally outwardly on opposite sides of the wheels 77 and comprises a block 12 preferably of a hard wood secured to a plate 13 of steel or the like. The plate 13 may be welded or otherwise rigidly fixed to the column 6. The wood block is preferably of the same size and shape as the plate 14 and is removably secured to one side thereof. Arcuately shaped handle mounting sockets 14-14 are rigidly secured by welding or otherwise to the opposite or rear face of the said plate 13 and are positioned at opposite sides of the column 6 inwardly of the opposite edges of said plate and laterally outwardly and on opposite sides of the wheels 77 as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. Each of said sockets is provided with an upper opening 15 and a lower opening 16, said openings 15 and 16 are each adapted to securely receive the end 17 of a handle 18.

In operation, my improved carrier may be quickly and easily assembled for use by inserting the handles 18-18 into the upper openings 15-45 of the sockets 1414. The said sockets 1414 are divergently mounted on the plate 13 whereby the handles when positioned therein extend upwardly and outwardly from the motor support It), as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The outwardly extending handles 1818 disposed laterally outwardly and on opposite sides of the dual-wheel point of support provide the necessary leverage to insure stability and to counteract any tendency toward sidewise tipping with only a minimum of effort.

By resting the handles 18-18 on the same base as the wheels, my carrier will be in a substantially horizontal position whereby a conventional outboard motor 19 may be readily mounted upon the motor support 10 and secured thereto by its own transom clamps. It should be noted that it is equally as easy to mount the carrier to the outboard motor and preferably so if the motor is a large one. ;By grasping the hand grips 20-20 provided on the outer ends of said handles the carrier and motor may be raised together to carrying position. By utilizing the well-known principle of the lever to achieve a substantial mechanical advantage and by positioning the center of gravity of the motor as nearly as possible over the axle 8 only a minimum of effort is required to carry a conventional outboard motor over the roughest of terrain.

When in or out of use, my novel carrier requires only a very minimum of storage area. The self-storing handles 1818 when removed from the handle receiving sockets 14-44 may be secured to the central support column 6 by means of conventional spring clips 2121, 'or the like, fastened to said column 6. As shown in FIG. 5, by positioning the handles with one end of each nested between the wheels 77 and the other ends securely gripped by the said clips 2121, my carrier may be easily stored in the back of a car, under a boat seat, on a shelf or in some unused corner.

Because of its basic design, an outboard motor is peculiarly difficult to service for maintenance or adjustments and it is very frequently necessary to improvise a stand or bench of one sort or another in order to make such minor adjustments or repairs thereto. A particularly novel feature of the present invention is its convertability to a storage or work stand for outboard motors.

By inserting the handles 13-18 into the lower openings 16-16 of the said sockets 14i4, a very sturdy and rugged stand may be provided on which an outboard motor may be mounted in substantially the same position as for carrying. Instead of extending upwardly and outwardly as when positioned for carrying a motor, the said handles, instead, extend downwardly and outwardly with the grips 2020 resting upon the same surface as the wheels 77, thereby providing a sturdy, three-legged stand as shown in FIG. 7. FIhe utilitarian value of my novel device is thus extended from merely seasonal use to all year round use.

A stand of this novel design is particularly adapted for off-season storage of an outboard motor since the motor may be maintained in substantially its operating position during long periods of non-use. It is apparent that any possible accumulation of sludge or other matter caused by improper storage positioning of the motor may thus be prevented. Furthermore, by merely transferring the handles 1813 from one set of openings in the mounting sockets 1414 to the openings in the opposite ends thereof, a complete conversion from stand to carrier, or vice versa, may thus be accomplished in only a matter of seconds.

I claim:

1. In a carrier for outboard motors, a single supporting column having an upper and a lower end, a mounting member affixed to said column adjacent to the upper end thereof, wheel means mounted on the lower end of said column adjacent thereto for rotation about an axis extending substantially parallel with said mounting member, said mounting member extending beyond the opposite sides of said column laterally outwardly of the said wheel means and being adapted to receive the transom bracket of an outboard motor, a pair of handle receiving members aflixed to said mounting member at opposite sides of said column laterally outwardly of the said wheel means, said handle receiving members each having upper and lower sockets therein extending rearwardly from said mounting member in upwardly and downwardly inclined diverging relationship, and a pair of handles selectively insertable into said upper and said lower sockets, said handles when inserted into said upper sockets providing upwardly inclined diverging handle means for manipulating said barrier, and when inserted into said lower sockets providing downwardly inclined diverging legs cooperating with said column to form a tripod-like stand on which said outboard motor may be stored.

2. In a carrier for outboard motors, a frame including a supporting column and a mounting plate afiixed to the upper end portion of said column and extending transversely thereof, said mounting plate being adapted to receive the transom bracket of an outboard motor, Wheel means mounted on the lower end portion of said column adjacent thereto for rotation about an axis extending substantially parallel to said mounting plate, a pair of elongated handles, and attaching means on said frame comprising a pair of handle receiving members secured to said mounting plate on opposite sides of said column, said handle receiving members each having upper and lower sockets therein extending rearwardly from said mounting plate in upwardly and downwardly diverging relationship to receive selectively the said handles therein to permit selective attachment of said handles thereto in a first position wherein said handles extend rearwardly from said frame in upwardly inclined diverging relationship and in a second position wherein said handles extend rearwardly from said frame in downwardly inclined diverging relationship, the free ends of said handles, in either of said positions, being disposed laterally outwardly and on opposite sides of said wheel means, said handles, in said first position, providing handle means for manipulating said carrier, and in said second position providing legs coqperable with said column to form a tripod-like stand on which an outboard motor may be stored.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 6 Dahlander July 15, 1958 KarW-att et a1. Apr. 7, 1959 Elias Sept. 1, 1959 'O1son Dec. 8, 1959 Guimond H May 31, 1960 'Kages May 9, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS Switzerland May 16, 1936 Great Britain I an. 26, 1955 

1. IN A CARRIER FOR OUTBOARD MOTORS, A SINGLE SUPPORTING COLUMN HAVING AN UPPER AND A LOWER END, A MOUNTING MEMBER AFFIXED TO SAID COLUMN ADJACENT TO THE UPPER END THEREOF, WHEEL MEANS MOUNTED ON THE LOWER END OF SAID COLUMN ADJACENT THERETO FOR ROTATION ABOUT AN AXIS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH SAID MOUNTING MEMBER, SAID MOUNTING MEMBER EXTENDING BEYOND THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID COLUMN LATERALLY OUTWARDLY OF THE SAID WHEEL MEANS AND BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE TRANSOM BRACKET OF AN OUTBOARD MOTOR, A PAIR OF HANDLE RECEIVING MEMBERS AFFIXED TO SAID MOUNTING MEMBER AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID COLUMN LATERALLY OUTWARDLY OF THE SAID WHEEL MEANS, SAID HANDLE RECEIVING MEMBERS EACH HAVING UPPER AND LOWER SOCKETS THEREIN EXTENDING REARWARDLY FROM SAID MOUNTING MEMBER IN UPWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY INCLINED DIVERGING RELATIONSHIP, AND A PAIR OF HANDLES SELECTIVELY INSERTABLE INTO SAID UPPER AND SAID LOWER SOCKETS, SAID HANDLES WHEN INSERTED INTO SAID UPPER SOCKETS PROVIDING UPWARDLY INCLINED DIVERGING HANDLE MEANS FOR MANIPULATING SAID BARRIER, AND WHEN INSERTED INTO SAID LOWER SOCKETS PROVIDING DOWNWARDLY INCLINED DIVERGING LEGS COOPERATING WITH SAID COLUMN TO FORM A TRIPOD-LIKE STAND ON WHICH SAID OUTBOARD MOTOR MAY BE STORED. 